Dr. McCoy detested the computer. And the transport, but that was different. He sat it his desk, squinting, with his nose inches from the screen, trying to read the print. He sighed, frustrated.
"Information unavailable. Information classified. Unavailable. Classified. Damn," he was mumbling when the door to sickbay whooshed open.
"Where is the Captain?" Spock's voice broke into McCoy's jumbled thoughts.
"You just missed him…" the doctor replied, turning to face the Vulcan, "…Spock!" He quickly stood. "My god, what happened?"
"I have to inform the captain of something, doctor, I was told he had come to sickbay with…you and…" Spock began to sway and McCoy rushed over to him, leading him to a bed.
"You're not going anywhere," he stated firmly, "I'll get Jim back down here." McCoy looked the first officer over. Gazing out from a pale, yet expressionless face was a pair of tired, strained, dark eyes. A trickle of green fell from a gash just above a gracefully swooping eyebrow. Spock sat, but stood once more. "Oh, no you don't," McCoy ordered, "In fact, lay down." Spock obeyed. "That's better. Now, what happened?"
"I need to speak to the captain," Spock insisted.
"He is on his way," McCoy assured him.
"Where is Lieutenant Montgomery?"
"To your left."
"Is she dead?"
"Sleeping." McCoy sighed. "Just sleeping. What happened?" he tried once more. Just then, the captain walked in.
"All right, Bones, what is it now?" he was saying, "Do I have to babysit you?"
"I was working on the problem presented to me by the captain," Spock calmly responded to the doctor's repeated question.
"Kirk noticed his first officer lying on a bed and exclaimed, "Spock! What happened?"
"And then you decided to dive head-first at you cabin door!" McCoy guessed.
"Doctor, in all of your illogic, you are essentially correct."
Frustrated, Kirk raised his voice, "Could I please know what is going on?"
"Lieutenant Montgomery is an empathy."
Both captain and doctor stared at Spock, shocked. McCoy found his voice first and unleashed it. "An empathy?" he asked incredulously, "like Gem?"
"No, doctor, not like Gem, anymore than I am a telepath like the Talosians."
"I am extremely interested in your discovery about Lexxi," Kirk interrupted, "but I'm more concerned about you being here."
"That is unimportant, Captain. I assure you, I am fine," Spock replied.
McCoy opened his mouth to protest, but thought better of it.
Spock continues, "After you left my quarters, Captain, I set to work on the problem you gave me to solve." The Vulcan's posture remained stiff, his face more or less blank, but subtle changes in his eyes showed only the keenest observer or closest friend shades of disquiet and unease. "Lieutenant Montgomery has, willingly or unwillingly, I cannot be sure, found a path to my mind. My speculation is that this happened during my meld with her, and I was unaware of it." Spock shifted slightly. "I recently witnessed a barrage of painful memories and became disoriented."
"And fell," McCoy added, aware that Spock disliked admitting to weakness. Spock didn't answer. "That's a nasty gash, let me fix it."
As the doctor busied himself with repairs, Kirk gazed at his troubled friend, his eyes full of sympathy for what he could not know. "I suppose you would like to confront Lexxi about this problem."
Spock came close to sighing. "I would not call it a problem. Perhaps an inconvenience. Yes, it would be ideally beneficial to discuss this situation with Lieutenant Montgomery."
"I don't think we should wake her up."
"Understandable."
Kirk did sigh. "Okay, now you can exclaim."
Spock began, "Gem was an empath in that she could transfer pain and injury to herself and heal it."
"Right."
"Lieutenant Montgomery is an empath in that she is able to send and receive emotions."
"Emotions?" McCoy interjected. "Did I hear that right?"
"Indeed, Doctor," Spock replied. "Captain, if you would talk to her about this."
"Me?" Kirk asked, a twinkle in his eyes, "Why, it's your problem, Mr. Spock."
"My first discussion with Lieutenant Montgomery was…unpleasant."
"Unpleasant?"
"Yes, Captain. You have much better talents in dealing with females."
"Me?" Kirk asked again, grinning openly. He looked to McCoy, who scowled as he began to put instruments away. "All right, Spock, I'll try to bring it up during shore leave."
"Very well," Spock replied.
"Shore leave?" McCoy faced the pair. "You still intend to take her down, Jim?"
"I do, Doctor, unless you have any objections."
"I guess not, just wait until tomorrow. She still needs a good night's sleep."
Kirk turned to Spock. "Are you sure you can wait until tomorrow? I don't want this…" he gestured to the now barely visible wound "…to happen again."
"I shall manage." Spock answered.
"You'll manage